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Seven on the trot as Alcaraz books Barca quarters
Carlos Alcaraz extended his current clay win streak to seven straight on Thursday, hammering Serb Laslo Djere 6-2, 6-4 in a show of force at his home ATP event in Barcelona.
Last weekend’s Monte Carlo champion fought back from 4-2 down in the second set to keep his fans happy at the Rafael Nadal court at the Real Club.
Alcaraz swept the final four games to advance comfortably in 71 minutes
The world No. 2 moved into a serious challenge against on-form Aussie fifth seed Alex de Minaur, who has yet to top the Spaniard in three previous meetings.
De Minaur booked his spot in the last eight 6-1, 6-2 over British qualifying lucky loser Jacob Fearnley.
Alcaraz now stands a formidable 27-1 on Spanish clay courts since the start of 2022. He has yet to lose in Barcelona, standing a flawless 12-0 with titles in 2022 and 2023.
(“Winning in) straight sets (helps to) save energy for the matches that I have coming forward,” the 21-year-old said..
“I played great tennis, even better than the first round, even though I had to come back. I was really happy to find a great level again and hopefully keep going.”
Elsewhere in the Catalan capital, Monte Carlo, 30th-ranked Monte Carlo semi-finalist Alejandro Davidovich Fokina stopped the rot after five defeats against Andrey Rublev, upsetting the ATP No. 8 with a 7-5, 6-4 to scoreline.
The Spaniard now plays Karen Khachanov, posted a 7-5, 6-4 victory over local Jaume Munar, as he duplicated a 2017 quarter-final here.
Andy Murray on Saturday pulled the plug on his participation in next week’s Davis Cup Finals in Spain, citing a fresh injury.
The 36-year-old Scot who led Britain to the 2015 title in the former classic iteration of the worldwide team competition announced that his current season is now over.
“I’ve picked up a minor shoulder injury which means I won’t be able to take part in the Davis Cup,” the three-time Grand Slam winner said.
“I’m gutted not to be part of the team but my focus now is on rehab.”
Murray last competed in Davis in September, winning his only match of the season in the competition in a Manchester tie against Switzerland.
Main photo:- Davis Cup Final Belgium v Great Britain 2015 Andy Murray and Jamie Murray win 3rd rubber Anne Parker International Sports Fotos Ltd
With one Roland Garros final and a single ATP title in Estoril this season, Casper Ruud is searching for late form this week at the Paris Masters to secure a place at the ATP Finals.
The Norwegian who entered the eight-man year-ender a year ago standing second in the world, now finds himself provisional 11th in the points race to Italy.
and needing a stellar showing this week in order to close the gap.
But Ruud is ready for that challenge: “In a way, it was good to get a couple of slaps (losses) to realize that not everything is going to be right all the time.
“You have to work hard for that and of course I gave my best.”
He added: “”It’s irritating, frustrating, annoying when you’re on the court and you’re not achieving the success you want.
“But let’s see what happens in Paris. It’s not the end of the world.
“It’s an opportunity they give you to look back, reflect and try to learn from it, grow from it, become a better player and know what went wrong.”
Milos Raonic made his return to tennis after two years off injured, with the Canadian hammering out a 6-3, 6-4 first-round win over Miomir Kecmanovic at the ATP event in the Netherlands.
2016 Wimbledon finalist Raonic, 32, has not been sighted on court since playing his last ATP match in Atlanta, 2021; his last time on grass came at the All England club in 2019.
On Monday, one-time No. 3 Raonic struck a respectable 15 aces and broke Kecmanovic three times in his return.
His injury list over the last 24 months includes Achilles, back, elbow, glute, thigh, right ankle, right calf and right knee.
“It’s nice to be here after almost two years now and stepping away for a long time,” Raonic said.
“It’s nice to be giving it one more try and hopefully going as far as I can.
“I’ve put in the best effort I could, and I want to see how far it takes me.”
He added: “It’s been a real pleasure to get to play in front of people. I didn’t get to hit a single tennis ball for a full year.
“Now I get to play in front of a bunch of people. It was pretty nerve-wracking, I forgot that feeling.
“It might have been a little bit easier if I played in front of nobody today.”
The nervous winner moved through in 85 minutes and admitted that his injury hard luck was mentally draining.
“It’s been a little heartbreaking a lot of the time when I couldn’t do anything and it’s nice for me to be here one more time.
“I get the chance to be on court, I get the chance to play, I get the chance to compete, to put in the work.
“I get a chance to see how far it takes me, so I’m thankful.”
Alcaraz masters tough conditions for third Barca final
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